We have been watching the water recently.
It has been putting on a show. The show is green.
I sit and watch the green shifting and moving along the shore.
We debate whether it is algae or pollen.
My vote is for pollen.
It is small and uniform.
The sample my neighbor gave me in a jar should have grown exponentially by now if it were algae.
It is fascinating to watch.
Come for a swim?
Flow
We rode up river to look at the damage caused by the swift and high water.
Many boathouses had been torn from their ramps.
There was a boat precariously perched on its lift.
Many piers suffered damage from high water and debris.
On the way back I spotted a boathouse that you may recognize from my last post.
The rogue boathouse was escorted back home by two towboats.
Water does whatever water wants.
FLOW
I live on what used to be the Catawba River.
A power company has built dams to form a series of lakes.
The water at my location still moves like a river and has not changed much in hundreds of years.
I can tell where the original river ran by how the water moves.
We are experiencing flooding right now.
The lake above us is over full. Water has risen and pulled out debris from its shores.
This debris is coming over the dam at the present time.
I have been sitting in my chair at the windows watching the water move.
I am in awe of its power to move heavy things.
Its flow is fast. Things are being propelled like a fast moving parade.
I love water. I respect it, but I do not fear it.
I will be here most of the morning.
Watching nature’s power.
Flow
What is it about water movement that mesmerizes?
I could have sat by the crown fountain all afternoon
listening to the sounds and watching the glistening spray.
As a science teacher, I referred to water as the miracle substance
because of its properties as a solvent and its three phases at natural temperatures.
There is more to water than physics can explain.
It’s movements and reflections are more art than science.
Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden has a water show going on
even when the flowers are taking a break.
The many fountains, pools and canals deserve their own attention.
The afternoon sun gave the splashes plenty of sparkle.
FLOW
I have been watching the water…and thinking.
It is still and smooth most of the time, with a ripple here and there.
Sometimes a line of waves forms and changes everything.
That’s how my life is right now.
Waves keep rolling across my smooth life.
I am in control of only my own buoyancy.
The water acts and I react.
Will I float? Will I swim with the waves or against them?
Will I rise and fall with the water
or let gravity win and go under?
I do not know what the water will do
but I know what I will do.
I will stay afloat
Because I am a survivor.
I choose to stay up
no matter the water.
Flow
It’s hard for me to leave tasks unfinished.
Since I am never finished, I rarely voluntarily stop working.
Sometimes a family intervention is needed.
This weekend I was forced to stop weeding, washing and writing
to travel up river by boat with the kayaks piled onto the front.
We have been wanting to do this for years.
There are side channels of the river that can only be reached by canoes and kayaks.
We anchored the boat and paddled under bridges
and through leaning trees to explore two of these protected areas.
I was pleased to see that nesting boxes and platforms had been erected for bird habitats.
The turtles, fish and snake I saw seemed undisturbed by my floating by.
I felt this was not only a haven for them, but also for me.
Maybe it’s time for FLOWER to get back to biology?
I returned home wet, tired and hungry…but with a new attitude.
Let’s call it water therapy.
FLOW
We are very fortunate to have a great source for koi and water plants
just a short drive away from us.
Gayle’s Koi in Catawba has been our choice for buying koi and water plants for years.
She has a huge pond full of gorgeous giants.
It is on the side of a hill and seems almost like an infinity pond.
Look at this view!
My son and I went to get several small koi and some water plants last weekend.
Water plants are needed to help shade the water during the hot months here in the south.
My son picked out two colorful fish from one of her holding tanks,
while I wandered around enjoying her garden art and unusual plants.
If you are local, I will pass along her contact information.
Gayle is the best.
FLOWER
I heard a symphony as I stepped from my car.
So many sounds. Soft and soothing , yet exhilarating.
The instruments had no strings. Water was playing.
Water moving in various volumes at different tempos.
Nature’s music.
Each instrument was unique in it’s shape and sound.
How could anyone just choose one and break up this band.
I never thought of fountain sounds before.
There is usually only one playing a solo.
Not at White House Garden Center in Cornelius, North Carolina.
Here, there are dozens performing together.
Each is as lovely to look at as to listen to.
I went there on an errand and had an adventure.
If you are searching for a fountain.
You will probably find the fountain of your dreams there.
Bravo!
FLOWER
Across the lake, past the island, under the bridge,
around the bend, through the farm pond
left of the rushes and mallows,
up the creek, under the hornet’s nest
through the floating fungi,
over the sand bar, down by the liverworts
toward the sound of running water, up to the rocks
there is a lovely little water fall.
FLOW
floweralley 